Page 41 of Chasing Dawn

I was only half listening, my heart thundering in my chest. What if Alexander was wrong? What if they were miserable? How would I extract them from an entire territory of vampires and shapeshifters?

Vance squeezed my hand reassuringly. He didn’t say the words, but I knew he was with me. He had my back.

The ride was long and quiet, but as we drove deeper into the wooded wildlands of Canada, my wolf howled inside me. These mountains were perfect for young wolves to run and be free, away from the harsh lights of Reno, the constant worry of being discovered, and the brutality of living hand-to-mouth in a poor pack.

This was shifter paradise.

The driver pulled over to the side of the road, and Alexander nodded. “We will run from here. I told their Alpha I’m in town, but not the purpose.”

I climbed out and shifted into my wolf, and Vance shifted into his bear. Fortunately for us, Alexander stayed in his human form, because there was nothing inconspicuous about a dragon. We ran into the heavy foliage, and my tongue lolled out of my mouth. Despite my human worries, the wolf was glad to be stretching its legs among the towering trees of Canada’s wilderness. New smells and old smells had me darting around, and Vance huffed a laugh, nudging me with his snout as he bounded behind me.

Luckily a bear out here wouldn’t be such an odd sight either.

I felt it when we stepped across the border to the pack land. It was like a ripple over my skin. My wolf shook out her fur, though Alexander seemed immune. We followed the sound of voices and small, happy laughter.

We stopped on a rise and looked down into someone’s backyard. It was filled with pups laughing and playing some kind of game of tag. They ranged in age from tiny toddlers to older kids who were obviously tasked with watching the younger ones.

When I saw them, my heart stopped beating in my chest. Carmen was smiling. I’d never seen her smile. She didn’t speak, smile, or laugh. She was a shell of a child that had seen too much in too short an amount of time, but here, she was chasing after a boy who couldn’t be much older and grinning wildly. Off to the side was Enit, who was getting her hair braided unsuccessfully by a girl not much older than she was. Christopher stood off to the other side, still too old for his age, too responsible. He watched his sisters, but he also watched the others, and a small smile played across his face. A man stood beside him, covered in tattoos. He was saying something to Christopher, and the boy grinned up at him.

They really were happy here, and much happier than I’d ever seen them at home. Could I leave them here to grow up without me? A clean break healed the best. I’d had enough broken bones to know that.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I realized I was whining softly.

Christopher’s nose tipped up, and his eyes darted around the backyard. He could scent my sadness. I was a scent that shouldn’t be here, and I could already see the smile slip from his face, the swell of old memories.

“We should go,” I told Vance and Alexander. I turned and fled the scene of happiness, pain and joy warring in my chest, but I knew what had to happen. I had to go home and let them live a life where the horrors of their past would eventually become faded nightmares.

When we stepped over the pack land boundary, I let out a long breath, shifted back to human form, and cried. I cried because I’d have to do one more painful thing for the welfare of my pack. Leaving behind the last of my past would be hard, but they deserved it.

Vance nuzzled me, still in his bear form, and I sunk my fingers into his fur.

I looked up at Alexander, wiping my cheeks with angry swipes of my hand. “They’ll be safe here, right? Happy?”

Alexander bowed low. “I swear on my immortal life. They will be safe and happy for the rest of their lives. They’ll never know the suffering of their early years ever again.” He gave me a crooked grin filled with pride. “The man the little Alpha was talking to is my grandson. He’s blind, an unenviable quality in a shifter.” I nodded curtly. Some types of shifters were brutal when we were born anything less than perfect. “But even blind, he traveled across North America to find his mate. Although they said she was dead, he didn’t give up.” There was pride in Alexander’s voice. “He already loves those pups as his own. There is nothing he wouldn’t do for them.”

I nodded tightly. This was the right thing to do. I shifted back to my wolf, and her sadness almost overwhelmed me. She tilted her head back and howled her pain, but then we left.

Sometimes the right choice was the one that hurt the most.

EPILOGUE

DAWN

TWELVE YEARS LATER

“Talbot, I’m going to be late,” I murmured, and his response was muffled by the blankets… or my thighs. I pulled the blanket back and mock glared down at the man with my legs over his shoulders. He pouted but moved up my body.

“Fine, but just know that this wise teacher thing you have going on really makes me hot.”

I rolled my eyes and dragged him in for a kiss. “You and your twin have that in common.” My lips brushed against his, soft and gentle. “I feel like I’m going to mess it up. What if I slip, and she finds out?”

Eden Academy had called regarding Omega lessons for one of their students. I’d been watching the school out in the wilds of Canada for a while, and we’d even sent off a couple of students to learn up there. The lions next door had sent Bohdie for Alpha training, which was how I got roped into the job, and even the MC that now lived down in town sent their children. Where else would you send a child with wings other than a supernatural academy?

Bohdie couldn’t have known the turmoil it would throw me into. For over a decade, we’d kept our connection to the wolves of Dark River a secret, but today, I’d see Enit again.

Talbot wrapped his arms around me. “Then you let it slip, and we’ll deal with it. It could even be a good thing. They are obviously happy up there, Dawn. We all know you made the right decision at the time, but no one said it had to be forever. They are older now. They’d understand.”

I wasn’t so sure, but I didn’t know if those were old hurts trying to flare up once more or insecurities. Either way, I wasn’t the same girl I’d been back then. I had the love and security of three men who would tear the world down to make me feel safe and happy. I had a home among people who didn’t care that I was a wolf and accepted me as their own. They didn’t care that I couldn’t give them Alpha offspring, or that I stole the hearts of all their upper leadership. They treated me as one of the sleuth. They came to me with their problems, and I did my best to make sure everyone was well cared for.